THE BOY WITH NO CORE.
The sky above Ironcrest kingdom burned gold as thousands gathered at the Awakening plaza.
It was the most important day in every young person's life.
The day their spirit core awakened.
The day their future is decided.
The day either rose… or fell.
Rows of sixteen and seventeen years old stood before the enormous Crystal of Origins at the center of the plaza.
Noble sat beneath silk canopies.
Merchants crowded the streets.
A soldier stood guard at the square.
Everyone watched with anticipation.
One by one, names were called.
“Elena Voss!”
A girl stepped forward to the stage.
The crystal glowed blue.
The crowd erupted.
“Water Core!”
“Healer class!”
“A silver rank!”
Applause filled the plaza.
Elena smiled proudly as she returned to her family.
The ceremony continued.
“Ronan Drake!
A tall young man walked forward to the crystal.
The crystal exploded with the red flames.
The crowd gasped.
“Fire core!”
“Gold rank!”
“Future commander!”
The cheers become louder.
Every awakening brought excitement.
Every awakening changed life.
Then came a name nobody cared about.
“Kael Ashborne.”
The crowd went quiet.
Some people snickered.
Others rolled their eyes.
Kael heard every whispered as he stepped forward.
“He will probably get a weak Bronze core.”
“If he even gets in at all.”
Kael clenched his fists.
He had spent his childhood enduring their mocking.
Years of hearing that he didn't belong there.
Years of being reminded that nobody knew who his parents were.
Today was supposed to change everything.
Today he could finally prove them wrong.
At least that is what he hoped for.
The Crystal Origin towered over him.
Its surface shimmered with ancient runes.
The high priest raised a hand.
“Place your palm upon the crystal!”
Kael swallowed hard.
Then he obeyed.
The moment his skin touched the crystal, a strange sensation raced through his body.
Cold, ancient and unfamiliar.
The crystal trembled.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
The high priest frowned.
“Interesting…”
The tremble intensifies.
Cracks of black energy flickered inside the crystal.
Nobody had ever seen that before.
The nobles exchange nervous looks.
“What is happening?”
The high priest's expression darkened.
Then suddenly the crystal went completely dark.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No light, no element and nothing was there.
The High priest stared.
The crowd stared.
Even kael stared.
Several seconds passed.
Then the High priest finally spoke.
His voice carried across the plaza.
“No spirit core detected.”
The words struck like a hammer.
Kael blinked.
“What?”
The priest looked at him with pity.
“No spirit core.”
The crowd exploded into laughter.
Hahaha.
“I knew it!”
“A coreless!”
“He doesn't even have magic!”
“There is no mistake!”
The words cut in deeper than any blade.
Kael looked at the crystal.
It remained dark.
Empty.
Dead.
His dream has been shattered before his eyes.
The crowd continued laughing.
Even some of the awakened youth smirked.
For them, it was entertainment.
A joke.
Nobody.
Kael stepped away from the crystal.
His vision blurred.
He refused to cry, not here and not in front of them.
Then another voice echoed through the plaza.
Pathetic.
Prince davren.
The kingdom's greatest genius.
The future king.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
Draven stepped forward.
Tall, confident and powerful.
Everything kael wasn't.
Golden armor reflected the sun.
A lighting emblem glowed on the chest.
Draven looks down at Kael as if he were a dirt.
“A coreless orphan dreaming of greatness!”
The prince chuckled.
“Know your place you loser!”
Then laughter follows.
Kael's jaw tightened.
One day.
One day he would wipe the smile off the prince's face.
But right now?
He couldn't defend his self
The ceremony continued..
Nobody paid attention to kael anymore.
His future has already been decided. A future with no power,a life with no status, a life without purpose.
By sunset everyone had left except Kael.
He sat alone on a cliff overlooking the kingdom.
The wind howled around him.
For hours he remained there.
Thinking, questioning.
Wondering why fate hated him.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
No answer came.
Only silence.
The night slowed covered the kingdom
Eventually kael stood up.
He couldn't stay there forever.
He began to walk home through the narrow forest path.
The moon filtered through the trees.
The air felt strangely cold.
Unnaturally cold.
Kael frowned.
Something wasn't right.
The forest had completely become quiet.
No birds sound, even insects.
Nothing sounded.
A chill round down his spine.
Then a crack.
A branch snapped behind him.
Kael spinned around.
He took another step.
Crack.
Closer this time.
His heart raced.
“Who is there?”
No response.
The shadow seems to have moved.
Then a pair of crimson eyes opened in the darkness.
Kael froze.
His blood turned cold.
A massive creature emerged slowly behind trees.
Black fur.
Claws longer than swords.
Glowing red eyes.
A shadow fang wolf.
One of the deadliest monsters near ironcrest.
The beast growled.
Kael's legs nearly gave out.
Without a spirit core,he couldn't fight.
Without magic,he couldn't run fastel enough.
This was the end.
The wolf lowered itself.
Preparing pounce on kael.
Kael backed away.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
The monster lunged.
“No.”
Kael threw up his arms.
And then everything stops.
The wolf froze in mid air.
The entire forest fell silent again.
Even the wind disappeared.
Time itself seemed to stop.
Darkness gathers around Kael.
Black mist poured around his chest.
The ground trembled violently.
The monster whimpered.
Actually whimpered.
As if it had seen something terrible.
Then a voice echoed inside Kael's head.
Ancient, cold and powerful.
[VOID CORE DETECTED.]
Kael's eyes widened.
“What.”
The voice continued.
[HOST CONFIRMED.]
[ANCIENT BLOODLINE VERIFIED.]
[VOID SYSTEM ACTIVATING.]
A glowing black screen suddenly appeared
Before him.
Kael stumbled back.
The words burned like silver fire against the darkness.
[WELCOME, HEIR.]
“Heir?”
The screen flickered.
A new message appeared.
[FIRST QUEST GENERATED.]
[SURVIVE THE NIGHT.]
[REWARD: VOID SKILL UNLOCK.]
[FAILURE: DEATH.]
Kael stared at the floating screen in shock.
Before he could react.
The earth beneath him cracked open.
A deep roar erupted from below.
The Shadow Fang Wolf immediately dropped to the ground.
Trembling and terrified.
As though something far worse had arrived.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
A gigantic hand made entirely of darkness emerged from the abyss beneath Kael's feet.
And then a second glowing message appeared.
[THE VOID HAS FOUND ITS HEIR.]
[THE FIRST GUARDIAN IS AWAKENING.]